Biological Tanks
A species of engineered organism that consisted of a crew, a large, cannon-like organ and heavy armour. Engineered by the UAC for the Hyperion Federation military.
These 'biological tanks', as the Hyperion Federation has become to know them, originated on the planet of Mauluo. Due to the more open nature of that planet compared to either Panagia or Binary Targos, this would be the most likely world to introduce such a species.
Mobility They varied significantly in how they travelled, but very few would be able to fly. Most traversed the ground through a large number of thick legs to evenly transfer all the weight of the organism over a large area of ground. Every leg would need to be excellently coordinated due to the sheer number of legs, so to make traverasl easier to communicate for the crew the part of the tank's brain that managed this was designed in an intuitive way for Harkas to interact with. They only need to give the tank commands on where it needed to move, and it would shortly follow.
Firepower The primary armament for such organisms would typically come in the form of a large organ similar to a cannon. The tank itself would reload the weapon, so although there was no loader required the tank would still often reload faster than a crew member loader could produce. In most tanks, a large, shell-like symbiotic organism was placed in the 'breech' before the area behind it was filled with an explosive compund produced and stored in a gland close to the breech. Upon the crew's command, a bioelectric spark would detonate the explosives, causing the shell to be fired. This would produce massive temperatures that no organism would survive directly, so they often also needed to water-cool the barrel and blood which would result in the tank consming a lot of water. To better manage heat, the barrel and breech are usually made of a highly rigid, chitin-like material. However, as the Harkas became very advanced, they began adopting railgun-like weapons and even plasma cannons, the latter of which would require a completely different mechanism of fire. There would be more examples. Most biological tanks had an excellent sense of hearing, preventing almost all ambush attempts. Their eyes came in a number of different forms. One of them, usually located directly under the barrel, would serve the purpose of aiming the barrel. It would be able to zoom to extreme depthsto provide superior accuracy at very long range.
Protection A similar material would often comprise the armour, although exact composition may very depending on which weapon it was designed to block. A notable advantage of making the entire thing biological was that it would be imposible to knock out the engine as there is no central organ that produces all the immediate power; as that is done via the ATP in the blood. One could destroy its digestive organs, but it would be able to retreat. If it manages to return to its base, the Harkas engineers might be able to repair the damage.
The crew would enter the vehicle via a large hatch on the top. They all shared a room near the rear of the tank. This was to protect them from enemy fire, and especially the gland that produces gunpowder would be especially explosive in particular. This gland is usually designed in a way to deflect any potential explosions away from the tank. The crew would come in the form of a driver, gunner and commander. However, they would all be trained to use the stations of other roles, in case some of the crew were lost. The entire vehicle could be operated by a single individual, but that would be inefficient in a similar way as trying to pilot a mechanical tank with a crew of 1. The crew compartment organ was usually also sealed in the chitin-like material like the armour. The harakas focused on crew protection.
Mobility They varied significantly in how they travelled, but very few would be able to fly. Most traversed the ground through a large number of thick legs to evenly transfer all the weight of the organism over a large area of ground. Every leg would need to be excellently coordinated due to the sheer number of legs, so to make traverasl easier to communicate for the crew the part of the tank's brain that managed this was designed in an intuitive way for Harkas to interact with. They only need to give the tank commands on where it needed to move, and it would shortly follow.
Firepower The primary armament for such organisms would typically come in the form of a large organ similar to a cannon. The tank itself would reload the weapon, so although there was no loader required the tank would still often reload faster than a crew member loader could produce. In most tanks, a large, shell-like symbiotic organism was placed in the 'breech' before the area behind it was filled with an explosive compund produced and stored in a gland close to the breech. Upon the crew's command, a bioelectric spark would detonate the explosives, causing the shell to be fired. This would produce massive temperatures that no organism would survive directly, so they often also needed to water-cool the barrel and blood which would result in the tank consming a lot of water. To better manage heat, the barrel and breech are usually made of a highly rigid, chitin-like material. However, as the Harkas became very advanced, they began adopting railgun-like weapons and even plasma cannons, the latter of which would require a completely different mechanism of fire. There would be more examples. Most biological tanks had an excellent sense of hearing, preventing almost all ambush attempts. Their eyes came in a number of different forms. One of them, usually located directly under the barrel, would serve the purpose of aiming the barrel. It would be able to zoom to extreme depthsto provide superior accuracy at very long range.
Protection A similar material would often comprise the armour, although exact composition may very depending on which weapon it was designed to block. A notable advantage of making the entire thing biological was that it would be imposible to knock out the engine as there is no central organ that produces all the immediate power; as that is done via the ATP in the blood. One could destroy its digestive organs, but it would be able to retreat. If it manages to return to its base, the Harkas engineers might be able to repair the damage.
The crew would enter the vehicle via a large hatch on the top. They all shared a room near the rear of the tank. This was to protect them from enemy fire, and especially the gland that produces gunpowder would be especially explosive in particular. This gland is usually designed in a way to deflect any potential explosions away from the tank. The crew would come in the form of a driver, gunner and commander. However, they would all be trained to use the stations of other roles, in case some of the crew were lost. The entire vehicle could be operated by a single individual, but that would be inefficient in a similar way as trying to pilot a mechanical tank with a crew of 1. The crew compartment organ was usually also sealed in the chitin-like material like the armour. The harakas focused on crew protection.
Comments